What’s Happening?
A retired Toowoomba couple has turned a regular grocery-shopping treat into a $100,000 Instant Scratch-Its win.
The Darling Downs residents purchased their winning $5 Crosswords Colour ticket from Harristown News & Casket Agency at Tower Shopping Village on Drayton Road.
Buying scratch tickets had become a Friday tradition for the couple, who usually picked up the same game while shopping for groceries.
When an official from The Lott contacted the winning woman, she had already received the prize money in her bank account.
“It’s amazing! I’m over the moon!” she shared. “Oh gosh, I just received the funds in my bank account – woo!
“We like to treat ourselves to the $5 Instant Scratch-Its tickets whenever we pick up our groceries on a Friday. We always seem to buy the same tickets too.
Why It Matters
The couple’s unexpected windfall came during an ordinary afternoon at home.
The woman had started scratching several tickets before stepping away to play with their dog, leaving her husband to continue.
*“Last week, I scratched a couple of tickets before going to play with our dog, while my husband kept scratching. Then he asked, ‘Guess how many words I’ve got?’. * “I guessed, ‘Six?’. He said, ‘No, we’ve got 10 words! We’ve won $100,000!’. I couldn’t believe him.
For the recently retired couple, the prize offers an opportunity to reduce their household expenses.
“We’ll definitely pay off the mortgage. It will be great to reduce our repayments! For celebrations, we’re pretty lowkey people so won’t be doing anything crazy. Thank you so much!”
Local Impact
The news also brought an emotional surprise to the Harristown business that sold the ticket.
Harristown News & Casket Agency owner Sarita Sharma said she initially thought a customer’s unexpected hug was connected to her new baby.
“I am thrilled! When the customer returned in-store and asked for a hug, I thought she was congratulating me on my new baby. Instead, she hugged me, kissed my cheek and whispered that I’d sold her a top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket,” she shared.
Sharma said she became emotional after hearing how much the win meant to the couple.
“The customer told me that she is recently retired and the prize is life-changing for her and her husband. I had tears in my eyes and I couldn’t believe it!
By The Numbers
- 10 words: The number the husband uncovered on the crossword ticket before realising they had won.
- 161 top-prize winners: The number recorded across The Lott’s Instant Scratch-Its jurisdictions during the 2025–26 financial year.
- $12.57 million: The combined value of those top prizes during the same period.
Zoom In
The winning ticket was sold at Harristown News & Casket Agency, Shop 3, Tower Shopping Village, 67 Drayton Road, Toowoomba.
For Sharma, the news was particularly meaningful because the winner was a regular customer.
“I am proudly telling everyone that I’d sold a top prize-winning Instant Scratch-Its ticket. I’m sure the community will be ecstatic for the winner. Congratulations to the winning woman and I wish them good luck for their future!”
Zoom Out
According to The Lott, Instant Scratch-Its players recorded more than 26.02 million wins across all prize tiers during the 2025–26 financial year.
Those prizes totalled more than $270.4 million, equivalent to approximately half a million winning entries worth over $5.2 million each week.
Across its wider range of lottery games, The Lott reported more than 116.9 million wins and over $3.82 billion in prize money during the same financial year.
What To Look For Next?
With the winnings already deposited, the couple intends to pay off their mortgage and keep their celebrations low-key.
More information about Instant Scratch-Its is available through The Lott’s official website.